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Wisconsin lawmakers are once again circling the medical marijuana debate—this time with GOP leadership split over how far to go and how fast to move.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) says he’s been trying “for five or six years to find a way to get to yes” on medical cannabis, but his definition of yes seems to differ sharply from that of his colleagues in the Senate. Vos told WISN-TV this week that he still supports a “very limited” medical marijuana program, but the new Senate proposal is, in his words, “way too broad and way too wide-ranging.”

Translation: too close to recreational.

A Tale of Two Bills

Vos’s earlier proposal called for a small, state-run network of five or six dispensaries, focused exclusively on patients with serious conditions and operated without a profit motive—essentially, a government-run pilot for palliative care. But even that modest version stalled in his own caucus.

Now, Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R) has introduced a bill that would allow licensed private dispensaries, bringing Wisconsin’s approach more in line with other medical markets. While still restrictive—no smokable flower, no home grows, and limited qualifying conditions—it’s a clear step away from Vos’s bureaucratic experiment.

Vos isn’t having it. “People worry it will lead to recreational marijuana,” he warned, calling the bill “unlikely” to pass the Assembly. “There’s a whole group of Republicans who think it’s a gateway, and Democrats who don’t want any restrictions,” he said. “So finding a consensus is super challenging.”

Politics, Polls, and Pain Points

For context: two-thirds of Wisconsin voters now support full legalization, according to Marquette Law School polling—a 17-point jump since 2013. Even a majority of GOP voters (56%) remain opposed, but support for medical use is far higher and continues to rise.

Sen. Felzkowski, a cancer survivor, has framed her bill as a moral and medical issue. “Someone with a serious health condition shouldn’t have to travel to another state or break the law,” she said, calling the measure “a chance for small businesses to participate responsibly.”

Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers—a consistent advocate for full legalization—has watched multiple reform attempts die in the Republican-controlled legislature. He isn’t seeking re-election, but has said bluntly that if Democrats flip control, Wisconsin will “finally legalize marijuana.”

For now, Vos remains the bottleneck, insisting he’s “trying to find a consensus” while simultaneously rejecting every version that moves. The irony? With Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota already cashing in, Wisconsin’s resistance is starting to look less like caution—and more like lost tax revenue.

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Smell You Later Florida

What’s Going On Here: Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeal has officially declared that the smell of cannabis alone is no longer grounds for police to search a vehicle — a decision that upends decades of precedent and reflects the state’s hazier legal landscape around hemp and medical marijuana.

For “generations,” wrote Judge Nelly Khouzam, cannabis’s distinct aroma was “immediately indicative of criminal activity.” Not anymore. With both hemp and medical cannabis now legal, the court ruled that odor alone cannot establish probable cause. Instead, the smell of weed must be weighed alongside “the totality of the circumstances” — a polite way of telling police to look (and smell) a little harder before opening the trunk.

Three judges filed concurring opinions, emphasizing that the scent of raw or burning cannabis is no more indicative of crime than the smell of coffee or cologne — legal substances that just happen to be strong.

However, not everyone is rolling with it. Judge Craig Villanti dissented, warning that scrapping the “plain smell doctrine” could undermine road safety and hinder enforcement against impaired driving. He urged the Florida Supreme Court and Legislature to revisit the issue, calling the new reality “a great injustice to the citizens of Florida.”

The case stemmed from a Hillsborough County traffic stop involving Darrielle Ortiz Williams, where officers discovered cannabis and “molly” after citing odor as justification for the search.

The ruling aligns Florida’s Tampa Bay–area court with the state’s 5th District Court of Appeal, signaling a statewide shift: in modern Florida, weed’s whiff alone no longer warrants a warrant.

New York Is On Fire

What’s Going On Here: New York’s legal cannabis market just hit a fresh high. The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) reported $174.8 million in sales for August 2025, marking the state’s strongest month yet and a sharp jump from July’s $161.6 million and June’s $153.2 million.

For context, August 2024 saw just $104.3 million in sales — proof that New York’s market has shifted from cautious rollout to full-on expansion mode in just one year.

According to Kevin Brennan, the OCM’s deputy director of analytics, the growth reflects both “the ongoing rollout of licensed dispensaries and strong consumer demand.” Year-to-date sales have already surpassed $1.4 billion, putting the Empire State on track to clear $2.2 billion by year’s end if current trends hold.

While the OCM’s official forecast for 2025 remains a conservative $1.8 billion, Brennan hinted the final figure could be far higher. “We could be at $3 billion watch by the end of the year,” he said.

New York legalized adult-use cannabis in March 2021 under the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, with the first licensed dispensary opening in December 2022. Adults 21 and over can possess up to three ounces of flower or 24 grams of concentrates, making the state’s legal framework among the nation’s most robust.

Three years in, it’s clear New Yorkers aren’t just embracing legalization — they’re buying in, big time.

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